Venetian blind head bar



March 23, 1937. s. HAMMER VENETIAN BLIND HEAD BAR Filed April ze, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 H L M M A u H R J. M mL L n M A mA v S y vm m Nm arch 23, 1937. S HAMMER VENETIAN BLIND HEAD BAR Filed-April 26.- 1935 2-Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR SAMUEL HAMMER ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 23,- 1,937

yUNITED VSTATES vPATENT .OFFICE4 United Metal Box Co.,

Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application April 26,' 1935, Serial No. 18,300

Claims.

This invention relat'es[to improvements in the construction and operation of Venetian blinds.

An important object of the invention is to provide as an article of manufacture a device for 5 supporting the slats of a Venetian blind and concealing the usual slat lifting cord guide pulleys, slat tilting mechanism, and lifting cord locking mechanism, in a unitary head bar structure.

Another object of the-invention is to provide an improved means for using what may be described as single supporting tapes, as distinguished from double or sd-called ladder tapes heretofore used in the manufacture of such blinds and to provide means for securely fastening the tapes to the edge l5 faces of the slats by a clip or other fastening means which may be easily removed as occasion requires.

'Another object of the invention is to provide `an improved mechanism for tilting the slats of the blind, as well as an vimproved mechanism for locking the lifting cords.-

Otherl objects of my invention will either become apparent or be specifically referred to in the following description wherein reference is made to the. accompanying drawing in which Figure lis a front elevational view of my improved slat support and head bar construction.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the structure shown in Figure l as seen from the left-hand end thereof. I

Figure 4 is a view. taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. A

Figure 5 is a, view of the tilting mechanism taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5a is av sectional. view taken on line 5a-5a of Figure 5. Figure 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 1. l

Figures 'l and 7a may be described as views showing, in detail, the parts of a cord guide pulley.

Figure 8 is an assembly view `of a cord guide pulley mounted upon the head bar.

Figures 9, 9a and 9b are viewsshowing elevation and end views lof a double guide pulley and mounting therefor. l e

Figures'lO, 11 and 12 showv thejmannerof employing a spring clip for fastening 4the slat sup-. porting tapes to the edge face ofthe slats in such a way that the over-all bundling height of the slats-when the blind is Araised to the top of the 55 window is no greater than thesummation of the A greater adjustment is prevented lby the engagethickness of the slats. In some respects, this clip construction is an improvement' over the invention defined and claimed in my. copending application Serial No. 726,225 led May 18, 1934.'

Figure 13 illustrates how a difference in slat 5 thickness affects the amount a slat may be tilted.

Referring now to Figures l and 2, it Will be seen that my blind comprises a head bar I0 adapted to be mounted in any suitable manner at the top of a window frame Illa by supporting brackl0 ets II and I2.l The head bar I0 is essentially a channel member comprising a web I3, front and rear walls I4 and anges I5 formed by bending the upper edges of the walls toward one another, see Figure 8. The brackets II and I2 are prefer- 15 ably constructed similar to each other except that they are appropriately modified for use as supports for the right and left-hand ends of the head bar, respectively. The bracket II, for instance, is formed from a vsingle sheet metal stamping comprising a side I8 and a back I9 bent at right angles to each other. Screw holes 20 are formedin either or both the side I8 and back I9 for mounting the bracket/in any suitable position at the top of a window. A front 2 I4 is cut integrally from the same piece of material as the side I8 and bent in the same direction as the backy I9, that is, at right angles to the side I8 and parallel to the back I9. A locking tongue 22, formed integral with the edge of the back I9 remote from that at which it joins `the side I8, is bent'at right angles to the back and toward the front 2 I.

At each endrof the front Wall of the bar I0 a screw slot 23, see Figure 1, is formed and at each end of the rear wall an opening 24 is formed. The bracket II and head bar IIJ as seen in Figure 1 may be assembled by lifting the end of the rear wall I4 upwardly between the free end of the locking. tongue 22 and the Vfront 2l, and thereafter moving the same rearwardly into supporting engagement with the bracket so that the locking tongue 22 projects through the opening 24 and the slot 23 lis disposed over the hole for a screw 2'6 inthe front 2| with the flange I5 oi the front wall I4 Aresting upon the front 2l. The head bar is secured in position by a screw 26. Before the screw 26 is` in place the bracket may be adjusted longitudinally of the head bar an amount equal to the length of theopening 24.

`5o ment of the tongue 22 with the ends of the opening 24. For this reason the tongue 22 is referred -to as a locking tongue. In a device of this kind the locking tongue prevents the brackets and head bar from being assembled when the brackets 5 are mounted at a distance from one another greater than that which would permit the bar to be securely supported by the brackets. Furthermore, if the brackets are mounted too far apart and one end of the head bar is assembled in a bracket it is not possible, because of the locking tongue, to pull the assembled end of the head' bar out of the bracket in an eiTort to support the other end of the bar on the other bracket. Hence the combination of a head bar and locking tongue of this kind prevents injury to a person attempting to install a Venetian blind on brackets which are not properly spaced with respect to one another. It will also be seen from Figures 4 and 6,

that the forward end of the locking tongue is formed with a hook 21 so that if the flange I5 inadvertently slips off the front 2| ybefore the screw 26 is placed in the end of the head bar, the hook will engage and retain the head bar in elevated position. The location of the top of the locking tongue 22 and the upper edge of the hole 24 is such that the tongue 22 will properly support the back part of the head bar when the 4screw 26 secures the /bar to the bracket.

Referring again to Figure l, it will be understood that the series of slats 30, 3I, 32, 33 terminating in a lowermost slat (not shown) are supported from the tilting slat 30 by flexible members 34 made of any suitable material, but preferably fabric tapes. The tapes 34 are secured to the edges of the slats in a manner to be hereinafter described. Suffice it to say for the moment that said securing means cooperates with apertures 35, see Figure 11, formed in the edge face of the slats. All of the slats and the head bar are perforated as at 36 to permit the passage therethrough of raising and lowering cords 31 and 38 which are secured to the lowermost slat, in the usual way.

Guide pulleys 40, 4I and 42, mounted on the head bar are provided to position and guide the cords 31 and 38 when they are pulled'from their vertical positions to one side of the window where they pass downwardly near a locking pawl 43, to be hereinafter described, which is adapted to grip the cords and thereby hold the blind in any desired position of elevation.

Referring nowto Figures 3 and 5a it will be seen that the slats 30 to 33 are preferably made of strips of sheet metal stiifened by having the edges thereof bent over with respect to the plane of the strip. From the standpoint of slat thickness the formation of this stiifening edge gives to the slats that appearance of stability to which one may have become accustomed in seeing blinds having slats made of wood. In the slats here shown the stiiening edges are of tubular formation, and in the case of the uppermost slat 30, these tubes are employed in combination with means for supporting and tilting the slats, see Figures 5 and 5a.

My unitary head bar structure comprises in addition to the head bar above described a pair of depending housings 45 and 46 for rotatably supporting the upper slat at its right and left hand ends respectively and for mounting and concealing, respectively, a slat tilting mechanism and a lifting cord locking mechanism. The housings 45 -and 46 are also made of sheet metal formed to have a generally channel shaped cross section and comprising a web portion 41 substantially the same width as the web I3 of the head bar I0 but with a front wall portion 48 narrower than that of the head bar, and a rear wall 49. One end of the web 41 is bent at right angles, as

at 50, to provide means for welding or otherwise securing the housing 45 to the Web I3 of the head bar ID so that the web I3 and web 41 are disposed at right angles to one another and the front walls I4 of the head bar Ill and 48 of the housing are disposed in the same plane. This construction forms a more or less regular shaped housing unit by which the usual Venetian blind hardware is attractively concealed. A tiltable or trunnion-like mounting member 5I, having a shank 52 is rotatably mounted in the web 41 and rigidly secured by any suitable means to a pulley 53 about which is disposed a tilting cord 54 secured intermediate its ends, as at 55, to the periphery of said pulley, see Fig. 3. Stops 56 and 51 are provided on the pulley 53 to cooperate with a stop 58 on the web 41, see Fig. 6, to prel vent the tilting mechanism from making more than one revolution. A spring washer 59 is disposed between the pulley 53 and the inside of the housing 45 to frictionally retain the pulley in any position to which it may be set. In the device here shown the tilting member 5I is provided with a prong 60 disposed at each endthereof and adapted to t respectively into the tubular edges formed on the uppermost slat 30, see Figures 5 and 5a. The other end of the slat 3U is similarly carried by a rotatable tiltingmember mount.. in a web 6I of the right hand housing 46.

The housing 46 is mounted on the web of the head bar by means of an extension 62 to which is first secured a double guide pulley 42, like that shown in Figures 9, 9a and 9b. It will be seen that the housing 46 comprises a front wall 63 from which a rear wall 64; see Figure 2, is

bent to form an enclosure 65 for the locking pawl 43. The web 6I opposite the locking pawl is cut -away as at 61, see Figure 4, and bent to form a fixed abutment 68, see Figure l, so that when the lifting cords 31 and 38 pass through the housing 46 the locking pawl 43 and xed abutment 68 will be disposed respectively proximate the opening 61. It will be seen from Figures 1 and 4 that when the lifting cords are held out of engagement with the locking pawl 43 by being moved slightly to the left, the pawl will drop by gravity to the bottom of the housing 46. When the cords are guided by the operator they will run freely pastthe pawl 43 and permit the blind to be lowered. However, when the cords move toward the pawl 43, under the inuence of thei'ree falling blind and without the guiding restraint of the operator, the cords will, momentarily acquire such speed as to be thrown outwardly into engagement with the gripping edges of the pawl 43 and lift the pawl until the cords are pinched thereby against the abutment 68. It will be seen that a downward pull on the cords will release the gripping action of the pawl and permit an operator to raise or lower the blind according to the manner in which the cords are guided.

Figures '7, '1a and 8 illustrate how the guide pulleys are formed from two cup-shaped stampings 10 and 1I of such size that the latter fits into the former. The stamping 1D is formed with a peripheral ange 12 for reasons to be hereinafter described. Each of these stampings is formed with a Central hole 13 having a bearing 14 for mounting the same on a shaft 15. A washer 16 of oil-soaked felt or other lubricating material is disposed between the stampings before they are assembled. Figure 8 illustrates the assembled pulley when the same is mounted in an angular position such that the cord 31 is is assembled, with the ends of the shaft iii pressed into position past the lugs and onto the,

1o bearings ld, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the bracket is then welded to the head bar. A guide lug t2, see Figure 8, is formedin the side wall of the single pulley mountings to prevent the cord from slipping off .the pulley at the sidenremote fromthe flange. Referring now to Figures 10, 1l and 12 it will be seen that the tapes Sill are secured to the edge face of the slats by means of a clip dt adapted to pass' through the tape like a staple. This clip is preferably made of spring wire having the ends thereof bent to form arms t6 and dl adapted to fit into the perioratlons 35 in the edge face of the slat. The

-Wire at the end portions of the arms is bent upon itself, so to speak, so that the ends form with the arms a recess d8 at each side of the head of the clip. It will be understood that the proportions of the clip 85 perforations d5 are such that when the clip is disposed in the perforations it may be easily ilexed sulclently to unhook one end thereof so that it can be removed from the perforation whereupon the other end may be removed also. l y

Figure 13 illustrates how a difference in slat thickness ail'ects the amount a slat may be tilted.

35 For instance the thick slat 90 is shown tilted as far as can be because of theengagement between the edge of the hole therein and the raising and lowering of the cord 3l. The slat iii may,l however, be tilted slightly further due to its reduced 40 thickness.

While I have describedwhat seems now to be the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is conceivable that various modifications in the configuration,-compositionand disposition of the 45 component elements going to make up the same may occur to those skilled in thefart, and no `limitation is intended by the phraseology ofthe g foregoing description or illustrations in the accompanying drawings.

What is claimed is:

1 1. A head bar for a Venetian blind` having a web and a front wall extending upwardly from said web; and a housing depending from each end of said head bar; each of said housings com- 55 prising a web forming in effect a vertically disposedportion of said head bar web, and a front wall disposed ,in the plane of the front wall' of the'head bar.

2. A head bar for a Venetian blind n having a 60 web and a front wall extending upwardly from,

. and longitudinally beyond the ends of, the front edge ofsaid web; and a housing depending from each end of said head bar; each of said housings comprising a web forming in effect a vertically disposed portion .of said head bar web, and a front wall disposed in the plane of the front wall of the head bar'and forming with the latter side portions of said structure.

3. A sheet metal head bar for a venetian tuna` of channel shaped cross' section having a web and a jfront wall extending upwardly :fromy the front edge of said web; and a sheet metal housing depending from each end of said head bar,- each of said housings comprising a web forming in eect a. vertically disposed portion of said .head bar web; and a front wall disposed at the end oi', and in the plane of, the front wall .oi the head bar forming with the latter the side portions of said U-shaped structure.

4. An inverted U-shaped structure for supporting the slats of a Venetian blind and concealing the slat lifting cord guide pulleys, a slat tilting mechanism, and a portion of the slat lifting cord, comprising in combination a head bar having a web and a front wall extending upwardly from said web; and a housing secured to and depending from each end of said head bar; each of said housings comprising a .web of approximately the same width as the web of the head bar and forming in eect a vertically disposed portion of said head bar web, and a front wall disposed in the plane of the front wall of the head bar, means for securing each housing to an end of said head bar, each of said housing webs being adapted to support a tiltable member, one of which membe s comprises a pulley, and each said housings forming an opening from which two cords are adapted to hang downwardly from a point immediately behind the plane of th front wall of said housing. y

5. A hollow head bar structure for supporting the slats "of a Venetian blind and concealing the and a front wall disposed in the plane of the i'rontv wall of the head bar, each of said housing webs being adapted to support one end of a slat `through the medium of a tiltable member, one of which members comprises a pulley, and each of said housings forming an opening from which two cords are adapted to hang downwardly proximate the end oi the slat and in a plane forward of the front edge of said slat.

` SAMUEL Hamma. 

